2014 marks the third year of Global Green USA’s partnership with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide free technical assistance—worth $20,000—to neighborhoods throughout the country seeking to become more socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable. Eight communities—including two that were impacted by Hurricane Sandy—were chosen to receive this assistance in 2014: Santa Monica, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Long Beach, CA; Dubuque, IA; Oak Forest, IL; Chippewa-Cree Tribe, MT; Long Beach, NY; and Westerly, RI.

With the help of a grant from the EPA’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program, our Green Urbanism Program (GUP) experts will visit each of the communities with other planning and sustainability experts from around the country—including Raimi + Associates, Farr Associates, and Agora Group. During the site assessment, the team will identify a neighborhood’s positive qualities, consult with community stakeholders in meetings and public workshops, and identify major opportunities to improve the sustainability of each neighborhood.

At the conclusion of the visit, the team will present recommendations for both infrastructure and policy changes aimed at helping the communities build a future that is more resource-efficient, livable, healthy, and environmentally responsible. Recommendations may include streetscape improvements, ecological restoration, integrated energy and water infrastructure, new standards for in-fill and transit-oriented development, or zoning code revisions to allow for urban agriculture or mixed-use development.